Untitled (subject to change)
by Blupe
Summary: Because even though Percy Jackson is a son of Poseidon, he has always preferred salt water over fresh. Thus, complications ensue. Multi-chap, despite the short summary. And if anyone can help me with the title, it'd be much appreciated. Rated T for safety, no actual reason so far.
1. Chapter 1

**"That's disgusting,"** Leo commented, grabbing both Piper and Jason by their hair and yanking their faces apart. With a grimace, Leo wiped his hands all over Jason's orange camp shirt. "Ew. Ew. Ew. Get the cooties _off!_"

Piper rolled her eyes and tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear, "Well if you hadn't interrupted, Repair Boy -"

"Yada yada yada," Leo said, ignoring Piper's glare and Jason's awestruck look - that poor boy - and grabbed the two's hands. "To the Big House now, you lovebirds. No need to keep Mr. D waiting. He is getting _cranky_."

"Leo -" Piper started.

"Yes, Beauty Queen," Leo patronized, "even crankier than you. Now move. Move. Move!"

"Uh, Leo," Jason interrupted, yanking his arm out of Leo's surprisingly strong grip, "just what are we going to the Big House for?"

Leo paused.

"Leo -" Piper growled.

"You know what," the boy said quickly, "I don't wanna keep Chiron waiting. So I'm just going to go ahead…" With a nervous laugh, Leo sprinted towards the big blue building, not looking back.

"Why do we put up with him again?"

Jason chuckled and took hold of Piper's hand, "Because he's a good person, and we're good friends?"

Piper rolled her eyes, "Sons of Jupiter," she muttered. Her smile though, offset any negative connotation in her words.

Jason nodded, "Son of Jupiter."

* * *

The assembled group stared at the IM being projected at the head of the Big House ping pong table. In the mist was Olympus - the godly one - in shambles. Dust was steadily falling from the marble, statues were in ruins, and the road to the throne room was deserted, with cracks lining the street like New York's roads in the summer. The viewing angle slowly approached the throne room, and in a flash of light, the demigods received an eerie image. All the Olympian seats of power were reduced to mere computer chairs that could be seen in any office cubicle. The Big Three's however, were differently colored.

"Errm," one of the campers mumbled, "Is it supposed to look like that?"

Dionysus shot the poor boy a dry glance, "Are you supposed to be alive?"

The camper shut up after that.

Chiron shot the camp director a admonishing look, and turned towards the demigods. "As you might or might not have known," he started, "Olympus - and the gods' seats of power - reflect the condition of the gods themselves. And after the fight that we have just fought, it is needless to say that the gods are…" Chiron glanced up, "a little...err, drained."

The skies remained silent.

"And Olympus, as you can see, is a little drained as well."

"A little?" exclaimed Leo, "It's like a vampire came and sucked all the life out of it!"

Thunder rolled and Jason slapped a hand over Leo's blabbering mouth.

"Sorry, Chiron. Continue."

"All is well, Jason. As I was saying, Olympus is hardly at full capacity, and none of the minor gods are up for the task."

The teens groaned, all knowing what was coming next.

"Yes, yes," grumbled Dionysus, "Poor you. Paint a couple of walls, pour a little cement. Simple really. Zeus would call it an honor." Then, under his breath, the wine god continued, "I would call it a miracle from the Fates themselves. A break, thank Rhea."

Chiron cast a sidelong glance at the god, but chose to ignore it. "That being said, we'll need groups of campers to go to Olympus and help out. There will be a schedule of course, and anyone who is unable will obviously be -"

"Chiron?"

With a sigh, Chiron turned, once again, to Leo. "What is it?"

"Reconstruction needs an architect right?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then, where's Annabeth?

"For that matter," chimed in a random camper, "Where's Percy?"

Chiron looked around and muttered dryly, "Where do you think?"

Piper rolled her eyes, "Want to go find them Leo?"

"Uh, interrupt Annabeth's...alone time with Percy? No thank you."

* * *

"There's a meeting in the Big House right now."

"Mhm."

"And we're making s'mores at the bottom a lake."

"Blue s'mores."

"And why is that, Seaweed Brain?"

"Aren't you the Wise Girl?"

Annabeth smacked Percy's head and he rolled over.

"You're such a dramatic.

"You're the one with me at the bottom of a lake making blue s'mores. I never _invited_ you to come."

"Fair point," Annabeth acknowledged, "but seriously though, it might be important."

"They're _blue s'mores_ Annabeth. Blue. Motherfugging. S'mores.

"Gods, I regret lending you that book."

"It's a miracle I managed to read it."

"It was an audiobook," Annabeth deadpanned.

"Same thing."

"..."

"Alright. Alright! Grab a doggy bag and let's get you up to the surface. No need to be so demanding."

"..."

"Oh hey, Chiron," Percy chuckled nervously, "Want some s'mores? No? Okay, I'll just -"

"Perseus, at least _try_ to make it to these meeting, alright? Or at least make it look like you tried."

"But, Chiron," he pouted, holding out the brown bag, "S'mores."

"Yes, yes, fascinating," Chiron mumbled, "Let us go then. Important matters to discuss."

Percy groaned.

Annabeth smacked his arm.

Chiron swished his tail and galloped back to the Big House.

Percy groaned.

* * *

**A new year, a new story. Fingers crossed. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

"**In...Kansas? We're taking the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome to Kansas?" **Annabeth exclaimed, her eyebrows shooting up to the heavens. She was sitting straight up, with a notebook in front of her. A dropped pencil lie untouched on top of the worn out pages.

"What's wrong with Kansas?" Percy asked, "I like Kansas. Lots of grain in Kansas though, I think. That schist isn't cool."

"Schist?" Leo questioned.

"Hazel knows," was Percy's only reply.

"Cut it out, boys," Chiron sighed, exasperated. "And as for you Annabeth, Kansas is in the center of the U.S., a perfect place to act as a home for demigods, Greek or Roman. Geographically, it also makes more sense to have a camp in the epicenter of America versus on its shores."

"But, Chiron," Annabeth protested, "it's _Kansas_."

"Nonsense, Annabeth, we've already bought some land and we'll start work on the area as soon as Olympus is fully restored."

"Olympus still isn't restored from the _Second Titan War_," Annabeth said, tired already, "This is too much, Chiron. Even I can't handle all of this work!"

Chiron's eyes softened, "I do understand, but you are most qualified to complete this task. And, you'll have the rest of the camp behind you."

"What about Camp Jupiter?" Jason asked, gripping Piper's hand tighter. "What will they be doing?"

Chiron pursed his lips, "Camp Jupiter is having a few...domestic problems," he managed, "I'm not really in the position to say anything, but that does lead us to our other topic." Chiron glanced at Percy briefly, his arm around Annabeth, but looked away soon after. "The Romans are lacking a praetor, and any candidates that step up are either unqualified or, erm, un-liked."

"Octavian?" Jason asked with a roll of his eyes.

"Probably," Percy shrugged.

Piper bit her lip, "Does that mean Jason is going back to Camp Jupiter?"

"No, no," Chiron reassured, glancing at the logo on Jason's chest, "Jason has made his decision and the Romans have accepted it - albeit with a pinch of salt."

Jason looked away, "Sorry, but I'm not...sorry."

"Not your fault, m'boy," Chiron said, turning instead to Percy. "But you Percy, you are still, technically, the second acting praetor for New Rome."

"What about Frank?" interrupted Leo, "Frank was the praetor for a while, right? Can't he take up the position again?"

Chiron shook his head, "Frank is busy as a centurion. As great of a warrior as the son of Mars is," Chiron continued, "he has stepped down."

"Probably from the paperwork," Jason commented, "There is a _lot_ of paperwork."

"Be as it may," Chiron spoke, "Reyna is in need of a partner. She needs to know whether Percy is willing to return to New Rome or to start another election. The former is preferred."

Annabeth frowned, "An election can't be that troublesome," she reasoned, "I'm sure there are plenty of qualified individuals in New Rome."

Percy shook his head, "Octavian would be plotting his head off. In politics, that augur is more dangerous than you would think."

"And," added Chiron, "the boy doesn't have experience. Not a good fit for such a position. But the decision is entirely up to you Percy."

Everyone's eyes were drawn to the teen. Percy fidgeted and scratched the SPQR tattoo on his left arm. The boy met Annabeth's eyes before looking away. He glanced at all the camper's faces, lingering on Jason with just a hint of desperation. Twiddling his thumbs - a habit he had never quite broken - he took a deep breath.

"I'll do it."

"Percy -" Annabeth started, but he cut her off.

"No big deal," Percy said, "Just for a couple of months, probably. Just until someone comes up who can take the position."

The silence in the room was palpable.

"Um, so what is this about Kansas, Chiron?" Piper asked, shooting Annabeth a worried look. The daughter of Athena was stoic. "Did we buy a hayfield or something?"

Annabeth shook off Percy's arm and sunk down in her seat.

* * *

Annabeth picked up another rock and brought her hand back, winding up for a pitch. With a step forward, she whipped the rock into the lake and it sailed across the water's surface. The splash it made reflected all the colors of the vibrant sunset sky, oranges, violets, and yellows rippled around the center. She bent to pick up another one before she heard the gurgling of oxygen rising to the surface. Half-heartedly, she tossed the pebble into the bubbles.

"The fish are complaining, you know," he said as a greeting, submerged waist deep in water.

"Yeah, well, you're not."

With a sigh, Percy rose from the water, completely dry, and plopped down next to her. He grabbed her wrist, and with a gentle tug, Annabeth complied and sat down next to him. Pulling the blonde close to him, Percy mumbled into her hair, "I'm leaving in a couple of days."

"I figured."

"Come with me to pack?" he asked, looking out towards the sunset.

Annabeth said nothing, choosing instead to gaze at his rigid jawline, long eyelashes, and curved nose.

"I'll take that as a no," he said, his tone somber. But as he stood up to leave, Annabeth went with him. Without a word, she fell into step beside him.

He gave her a tiny smile that she barely returned.

* * *

The cabin was neat and tidy. Worn camp shirts hung from the closet and the bunks were made. Every single one of them.

"Tyson been in here lately?" Annabeth asked. She remembered Percy telling her that he would sleep in all the bunks before even contemplating making them. A perfectly imperfect system, he had called it.

"What? No, Tyson's busy in the forges. Dad needs a lot of help down there. A bit short-handed, I think is what he said," Percy replied, rummaging for his duffel bag. He scrunched his eyebrows as he reached under his bed. Making a sound of disgust, he yanked his arm out right away. "I'll need to clean that…" he murmured under his breath.

Annabeth raised a brow, "_You_ cleaned this room?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"To be honest, yes."

"Well then you're wrong," he paused for a moment, "Gods, I never thought those words would come out of my mouth."

"Seaweed Brain," she chided affectionately.

They were silent for a little bit longer, the only noise was the ruffling of blankets and sheets as Percy looked for his duffel bag. Annabeth spotted it in the corner, by the door as soon as they walked in, but didn't mention it.

"Percy," she said quietly, but Percy heard.

"Hm?"

"Don't go."

Percy paused, letting go of the blanket being held above his head. The voice Annabeth had used broke his heart. The softness. The slightly higher pitch. Percy fell back onto the bunk, letting the mattress envelop him.

"I have to Annabeth, the situation at Camp Jupiter has to be bad if Reyna is asking for help."

"You don't _have_ to, Percy," Annabeth rebutted, "New Rome was fine before you arrived and it'll be fine now." Her gaze trailed towards the SPQR and the trident burned onto his forearm. "You _want_ to."

"No," Percy replied, shaking his head, "at least, not for work. You know that. But I have responsibility to the Romans. Frank, Hazel, Reyna, they're my family now. Just as much as the Greeks are." He headed for the door, and Annabeth's heart caught for a moment. Then, he reached for his duffel. But that was enough for Annabeth.

She clenched her jaw, "You refer to the Greeks as if you aren't one."

His eyes widened marginally, "Not intentionally! Never intentionally," he stated quickly, "I'm not good with words. Seaweed Brain, right?"

"Maybe you should take some lessons from Octavian."

"Annabeth -"

She stomped her foot, fully aware of how childish she was being, "You didn't even protest! You didn't even look me in the eye! Your hero complex is outrageous Percy. I thought you wanted peace, a happy ending." Her glare was frightful, burning into Percy like the fires of Tartarus itself. As she paced around the cabin, Percy's eyes followed her sorrowfully, but made no move to stop her.

"Annabeth -"

She suddenly turned towards him, "You promised, Percy!" she said, her voice echoing with un-released sobs, "You promised."

"I did! But this isn't permanent, Annabeth," he argued, Percy's voice rising in volume, "I'll come back. I've always come back, haven't I?"

"But you've always wanted to stay!"

"Wha-? No I haven't!" Percy denied, a little too quickly for Annabeth's liking.

"Don't lie," she growled quietly, "During the Titan War, you wanted to stay holed up in Manhattan, with Rachel and your mom and your mortal friends. You wanted to run away."

"But I-" Percy tried, futilely.

"And before then, on Ogygia, you wanted to stay. I know you wanted to stay. But you felt _obligated_ to come back," Annabeth continued, looking him dead in the eye. "If this life has taught me anything, Percy, is that if you feel obligated to do anything, then you probably shouldn't. Because do you know what the feeling of obligation really is, Percy?"

"No I-"

"Obligation is just another form of guilt."

At this point, there were tears streaming down Annabeth's face, but she didn't seem to care. Percy took a step towards her, stopping as Annabeth backed up. A look of inexpressible hurt passed across his features, and Percy opened his mouth to speak.

"They need me, Annabeth. Obligation or not, they need me," he whispered, his fist clenching at his side. Glancing at his set jaw, Annabeth took a shuddering breath, chiding herself for breaking down like she was.

"But I need you too," she admitted in a desperate act, tossing her hubris out the metaphorical window. Percy's eyes shot open, and he dropped his bag.

"Annabeth… I-I'm sorry."

"Just, tell me Percy," she said, her stormy eyes not quite working with her shattered look, "Why do you feel guilty?"

"I'm not," he said, his green eyes shadowed with sorrow, "It's not that big of a deal Annabeth! It's just a couple of months. You're making it seem like I'm walking to my death."

Annabeth closed her eyes and muttered a few undecipherable words.

"Annabeth?"

Her eyes snapped open, "I said, that if you want to go to New Rome so badly," she growled, her posture wide and prepared for a fight - or could it be flight? "Then go."

"Wise Girl," he murmured, "Don't do this."

"I'll do whatever I want," she yelled, "Go! If you want to go so badly, then _go_!"

"It's my cabin, Annabeth!" Percy yelled back, "I don't have to go!"

"Go!" she insisted, pushing Percy by his shoulders. "Leave! But don't come back! Don't you dare come back!"

"Fine! I'm going! Going. Gone. Whatever!" He turned and reached for the doorknob. With only a slight hesitation, he shoved out and slammed the door behind him.

Annabeth stood in the empty room, her heavy breaths and quiet sobs the only sound around her.

* * *

**Erm, a warning for all of you guys. Is this a Percabeth story? Kinda, but keep in mind. Not all stories have happy endings.**

** .Dun.**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, thanks for the two reviews I got from Rogan-Merthur-Whouffle and xXxJaceInWonderlandxXx. Title suggestions are a major help, especially "Obligation". But we'll see. Enjoy chapter three.**

* * *

**Nico's cabin wasn't what Percy expected at first.** There were no torches of Greek fire. Not a single set of skull and crossbones. Not even, Percy had joked, a single fake Halloween prop to be seen. In all actuality, Nico's cabin was very practical and surprisingly normal. The cabin itself was nestled in the woods. Not far away from camp, but far enough that the new, naively curious campers wouldn't come knocking. Made of wood and stone, no one would suspect it of being a home for a son of Hades. Perhaps a satyr, but not Nico Di Angelo. Inconspicuity was what Nico was going for, but at eleven forty-seven p.m., the cabin was anything but.

"Nico!" Percy yelled, banging on door as if he had a vendetta against it, "Nico, open up!" The door frame shook as Percy slammed his fist on it. A minute later, Percy stopped and rested his head on the cool wood. "Nico...c'mon," he begged.

"Percy?"

"Ahh!" Percy exclaimed, backing up...and knocking his head into the the stone support. "Owww!" he whined, "I thought you were inside."

Nico's lip twitched, "I'm never in the cabin, Percy. It's just a rest stop for food, really."

Percy frowned, "But we built it for you to, you know, live in."

"Living is boring," the younger boy replied with a shrug, "No, I mostly just sleep wherever I end up on any given day." Percy eyed the boy curiously, the bags in Nico's hands looked awfully familiar.

"Is that...McDonalds?"

"Of course. International chains are really convenient," Nico said, his tone nonchalant, "The stuff in China can hardly be called Big Macs, though."

"I see…"

"Nevermind," Nico muttered, "What'd you want. Need me to shadow travel you because you forgot your toothbrush or something?"

Percy sobered up, glaring at his shoelaces. "Yeah, uh, New Rome," he mumbled, "Take me to New Rome."

Nico frowned, "I'm not a subway system, Percy. Give me a good reason to send you across the country at -" he looked down at his wrist, "At eleven fifty-eight at night."

"I'll play mythomagic with you?"

Nico glared at him, "I'm not a _kid_, Percy. I don't do games."

"Well in that case, I've nothing else to offer," Percy muttered sarcastically, and afterwards, "Godsdammit, Nico!" he exclaimed, "Just travel first, questions later."

Nico scowled, "Does Chiron know?" he asked suspiciously.

"Of course, he even gave me permission earlier to leave as soon as possible."

"Does _Annabeth_ know?"

Percy paused and looked Nico dead in the eye, "Yeah, she knows." The two stared at each other for a while longer before Nico saw something, something akin to truth in Percy's eyes. Nico wordlessly held out a hand, paused for just a moment when they touched, and then the two demigods disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

Once again, Reyna was pulling another late night. Her hair, usually tidy and uptight, lay in a disheveled mess across her left shoulder. She had ditched her cape and toga hours ago, and simply wore a tank-top and running shorts to battle the San Francisco heat. Slouching over her desk, Reyna's hand ran furiously across the papers. Signing this. Confirming that. And writing letters of apologies about things she shouldn't be apologetic about. She - once again - ran a hand through her hair and sighed. It was on days - nights - like this that she missed having a co-praetor to dump all the grunt work on. For a couple of weeks, Frank had led steadily next to her, but the poor boy couldn't handle the stress, the decisions that had to be made in such a position. And Reyna didn't blame him. Praetors weren't exactly the most likable people in their...ehem, current situation.

Sticking out of the mundane pile of papers was a seal that particularly caught her eye. She sighed. It was the request from Olympus to send a couple groups from each cohort to Kansas - _Kansas_ of all places - to help start the new demigod camp. But really, who in Pluto's domain had enough time and energy for some silly goodwill program? It just wasn't fair how much Reyna had bitten off - the Giant War, praetorship, getting rivals from before the common era to _play nice_. But she simply just sighed again and reached for a bottle of water. Not taking her glance off of the documents, Reyna frowned. The bottle wasn't where it was ten minutes ago. She reached for it again, but grasped nothing. Finally she looked up...and practically had a heart attack.

Percy Jackson was holding a bottle of water, juggling it in his hands in the corner of the room. His lips were quirked marginally, but his eyes displayed his unsettled emotions. Percy tossed the bottle back to her, and Reyna caught it, surprised, and with a growl.

"Perseus -"

"Yeah," he croaked, then he cleared his throat, embarrassed, "Yeah, um, you called?"

"I did not mean for you to pop up in the middle of my study and steal my water," Reyna replied, emphasizing all the right words to make Percy flinch, "How did you get in, anyways? I didn't hear the door open."

Percy scratched the back of his neck, "Oh, yeah, right. Nico shadow traveled me here."

"Nico was here too!?" Reyna exclaimed, eyes narrowed. "These are private chambers, Percy. Not a tour museum."

Percy raised his hands in surrender, "Hey, I told him to take me to New Rome, not your study. It's not my fault!"

"That son of a -"

"So!" Percy said, a little too loudly, "What do you need help with? I can help." He looked at the pile of papers on her desk, "On second thought…"

Reyna laughed, a loud hearty laugh that made her feel human again, "You look tired Perseus. It's past midnight anyways," she said, "Go to your chambers and rest."

"But I came here to -"

"Help. Yes, I know, but you are in no condition to help anyone at this point. Rest, Perseus," she ordered. Percy crossed his arms stubbornly. Reyna raised an eyebrow. Percy sighed.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, "Rest. Sure. Don't worry, I'm going." Then, he walked out of the room, glancing once more behind his shoulder before Reyna heard the gentle click of the door.

She resumed the signature that had been cut off by the pesky son of Poseidon.

* * *

**Seems a bit short to me, but it just seemed like a good place to cut the chapter off. Well whatevs, I've hit my thousand word mark, so...good enough. :D  
****If you don't mind, give a second and review this story. It's really the only feedback I can get.  
Oh and semester finals are next week, and I've got World Studies first. Oh gods. Wish me luck.**


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